BACKGROUND NOTES:EPIC POETRY, EPIC HERO, TROJAN WAR, & GREEK

MYTHOLOGY

The Odyssey by Homer

EPIC POETRY

An epic is defined as

a long narrative

poem about the deeds of gods or heroes.

Homer’s The

Odyssey is an

example of epic poetry.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC:

A heroA quest or journey

Epic similesAn invocation of the muse

Sacrifice or pray to the gods for victory in battle

CombatIntervention from the supernatural

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:

Deus Ex-Machina–“god from the machine;” a god comes down at the end of the story to

solve the conflicts

Visit to the Underworld

Apotheosis –elevation to divine status

In many epics, the hero is a demigod, born to one human parent and one divine parent.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:

Some cycles (series) of epic poems develop around a hero or event.

Epics date back to prehistoric times, with the earliest form being sung by their poets.

The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, is a cycle that develops around a partly

historical/partly mythical Trojan War.Rules for epics were based on The Iliad &

The Odyssey.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC, CONTINUED:

These rules state that the epic must begin in medias res, or “in the middle of things,” and the poet must write in a dignified style that

begins with an “invocation” in which he asks a Muse for divine inspiration.

THE EPIC HERO

Hero is of imposing stature

Hero and/or his style is grand, yet simple

Setting is vastHero has superhuman

strength or courage Hero faces

supernatural forces

THE TROJAN WAR

12th ~ 13th Century B.C.

Between the Greeks and the people of Troy in W. Asia Minor

Events celebrated in Homer’s The Iliad & The Odyssey

The Trojan prince, Paris, ran off with the beautiful Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta

TROJAN WAR, CONTINUED…

Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, led an expedition to retrieve her, which led to the war

that spanned 10 years.War ended when the Greeks pretended to

leave Troy, leaving behind a giant wooden horse

The Trojans wheeled the horse inside the city walls

At night, the Greeks poured out of the horse, opened the gates for their fellow soldiers, and

took over the city of Troy and its citizens

THEMES

The Power of Cunning over Strength

The Pitfalls of Temptatio

n

MORTALS

Odysseus is well-known for his

resourcefulness and guile and is

known by his epithet,

“Odysseus the Cunning.”

Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and the husband of Penelope. When he left to fight the Trojan War, he left Penelope pregnant with his son, Telemachus.

MORTALS

PENELOPE

Penelope spends her days in the palace pining for the husband who left for

Troy twenty years earlier and never returned. Homer portrays her as

sometimes flighty and excitable but also clever and steadfastly true to

her husband.

Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus.

MORTALS

TELEMACHUS

Odysseus’s son. He is a natural obstacle

to the suitors desperately courting his

mother, but despite his courage and good heart, he

initially lacks the poise and

confidence to oppose them.

MORTALS

EURYLOCHUS

Odysseus’ second in command.

Cowardly and unpleasant, he frequently undermines Odysseus’ authority and causes

trouble.

Relative of Odysseus through marriage.

MORTALS

Tiresias

A Theban prophet, Tiresias meets Odysseus when

Odysseus journeys to the underworld. He

shows Odysseus how to get back to Ithaca and

allows Odysseus to communicate with the other souls in Hades.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Zeus Chief Olympian; chases the women, tries to hide his infidelity

from his wife; also called Lord of the Sky, The Rain God, and The Cloud Gatherer; wields the thunderbolt as a weapon.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Hera

Wife to Zeus; prolonged the Trojan War & allowed Troy to be left in ruins because a

Trojan said another goddess was lovelier than

she; sacred animals are the peacock and cow.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Poseidon

Brother to Zeus; Lord of the Sea; gave man the first horse; also

responsible for earthquakes

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Hades

Ruler of the Underworld and the dead; spent

most of his time in the Underworld because he was

not welcomed on Mt. Olympus.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Athena

Daughter of Zeus ONLY –no mother –

she sprang from Zeus’ head; she

created the olive; described as a fierce

battle goddess, protector of civilized life, and the goddess

of crafts and agriculture.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Apollo

Described as the beautiful god of music; plays a

golden lyre; also seen as the Archer

god & a healer

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Artemis

Twin sister of Apollo; personality not easily

defined – is she good or evil? Example: Known to

protect the young while on the hunt – BUT – kept the Greek fleet from sailing to Troy until a maiden was sacrificed in her honor.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

AphroditeGoddess of Love and Beauty; laughter-loving goddess

who used her wiles to hypnotize men; extremely beautiful; without her…no joy or loveliness anywhere; could have a deadly or destructive power over men.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Hermes

Graceful and swift; wore winged

sandals, had wings on his hat, and carried a magic wand; he was

Zeus’ messenger and also guided the dead to the

Underworld.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Ares

God of War; described as a “murderous

curse” who was also a coward; a symbol of

war

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Hephaestus

God of Fire; unattractive

and crippled –ironically, he is married to the most beautiful

of the goddesses, Aphrodite.

THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS

Hestia

Goddess of the Hearth; the symbol

of home; meals began and ended

with an offering to her; each city had a

public hearth sacred to her where the fire was never allowed to go out.

THE LESSER GODS OF OLYMPUS

Eros–The God of Love (Cupid)

Hebe–Goddess of Youth

Iris–Goddess of the Rainbow

LESSER GODS OF OLYMPUS

The Three Graces –Aglaia (Splendor); Euphrosyne (Mirth); Thalia (Good Cheer).

The Nine Muses Clio = History

Urania= Astronomy Calliope = Epic PoetryMelpomene= Tragedy Erato= Love PoetryThalia= Comedy Polyhymnia= Songs Terpiscore= Dance Euterpe= Lyric Poetry

THE UNDERWORLD

Ruled by Hades and Persephone

Cerberus –3-headed, dragon-tailed dog who guards the gate and allows spirits to enter

Two divisions: Tartarus & Erebus Two Rivers:Acheron, River of WoeCocytus, River of Lamentation

Aeolus

King of the Winds; lived on Earth on the island of Aeolia (character in The Odyssey)

The Sirens

3 bird-like female creatures with enchanting voices; would sing & lure sailors to their death. (also

characters in The Odyssey)

Scylla

A monster with 12 feet and 6 heads with 3 rows of teeth, carries off a

sailor in each mouth

Charybdis

A monster at the bottom of the ocean who, three times a day, caused a whirlpool that

would pull in sailors to their deaths.

Calypso

The beautiful nymph who falls in love with

Odysseus when he lands on her island-

home of Ogygia. Calypso holds him prisoner there for seven years until

Hermes, the messenger god, persuades her to

let him go.

Polyphemus

One of the Cyclopes (uncivilized one-eyed giants) whose island Odysseus comes to

soon after leaving Troy. Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his crew and tries to eat them. He is Poseidon's son.

Circe

The beautiful witch-goddess who

transforms Odysseus’s crew into swine when he lands on her island.

With Hermes’ help, Odysseus resists

Circe’s powers and then becomes her

lover, living in luxury at her side for a year.